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Elements of An Article

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David Gopee
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22 views

Elements of An Article

Uploaded by

David Gopee
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Elements of an article

Headline
A headline is text at the top of a newspaper article,
indicating the nature of the article. The headline catches
the attention of the reader and relates well to the topic.
Modern headlines are typically written in an abbreviated
style omitting many elements of a complete sentence but
almost always including a non-copula verb.

Byline
A byline gives the name and often the position of the
writer.
Lead

The lead (sometimes spelled lede) sentence captures the


attention of the reader and sums up the focus of the story.
The lead also establishes the subject, sets the tone and
guides the reader into the article.
In a news story, the introductory paragraph tells the most
important facts and answers the questions: who, what,
where, when, why, and how. In a feature story, the author
may choose to open in any number of ways, including the
following:
 an anecdote
 a shocking or startling statement
 a generalization
 pure information
 a description
 a quote
 a question
 a comparison

Body
 For the news story, details and elaboration are
evident in the body of the news story and flow
smoothly from the lead.
 Quotes are used to add interest and support to the
story.
 The inverted pyramid is used with most news stories.
A feature article will follow a format appropriate for its
type. Structures for feature articles may include, but are
not limited to:
 chronological — the article may be a narrative of
some sort.
 cause and effect — the reasons and results of an
event or process are examined.
 classification — items in an article are grouped to
help aid understanding
 compare and contrast — two or more items are
examined side-by-side to see their similarities and
differences
 list — A simple item-by-item run-down of pieces of
information.
 question and answer — such as an interview with a
celebrity or expert.

Conclusion
One difference between a news story and a feature article
is the conclusion. Endings for a hard news article occur
when all of the information has been presented according
to the inverted pyramid form. By contrast, the feature
article needs more definite closure. The conclusions for
these articles may include, but are not limited to:
 a final quote
 a descriptive scene
 a play on the title or lead
 a summary statement

Characteristics of well-written articles


 Article is usually on a well-defined topic or topics
that are related in some way, such as a factual
account of a newsworthy event.
 The writer is objective and shows all sides to an
issue.
 The sources for this news story are identified and are
reliable.
 Show, don't tell.

Authorship
Publications obtain articles in a few different ways:
 staff written — an article may be written by a person
on the staff of the publication.
 assigned — a freelance writer may be asked to write
an article on a specific topic.
 unsolicited — a publication may be open to
receiving article manuscripts from freelance writers.

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